Student Government Focuses On Drowsy Driving Awareness

As Baylor University students prepare to head home for the Thanksgiving holidays next week, Baylor student government and junior class officers will be reminding students about the dangers of drowsy driving.

Students will be distributing ribbons and flyers about the Lupe Medina Program from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 21-26 at Fountain Mall on the Baylor campus. Crosses remembering those who have died in drowsy driving-related accidents also will be on display.

The Lupe Medina Program is an initiative aimed at curbing drowsy driving among college-age students through education, prevention and awareness. The program combines the efforts of several universities, hotel sponsors and student governments to provide discounted hotel rates for students who get drowsy while driving home. The offer is available at numerous hotels outside a 50-mile radius from Baylor with a valid student ID.

The hotel discount program grew out of a partnership developed between the student governments of Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas Tech University, after the tragic deaths of several students in drowsy driving accidents, including Medina, a former Texas A&M student who died in a drowsy driving accident in April 1998.

Drowsy driving accounts for at least 30 percent of fatal crashes annually, with most occurring among adults ages 16-25. Research has shown that going 24 hours without sleep has the same physical and mental implications as a .10 percent blood alcohol level, which is .02 percent above the legal limit.

More information about the Lupe Medina Program can be found at http://lmp.tamu.edu or by contacting the Baylor student government office at (254) 710-2369.